Album Notes

MICHAEL JANTZ
Snapshots of the Universe

UP FROM THE STREET CORNERS — TWICE

WASHINGTON DC: Singer/songwriter Michael Jantz breaks new ground with the release of his second album, Snapshots of the Universe. Engineered by Tom Schick (Ryan Adams, Rufus Wainwright, Sean Lennon, Yoko Ono) and mastered by Fred Kevorkian (the White Stripes, Ryan Adams, Dave Matthews Band, Iggy Pop), Snapshots features drummer Steve Bowman (the Bittersweets, Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind) and contributions from Bittersweets singer Hannah Prater, producer Jerry Becker, and Scott Barkan of Barky and Hypnotic Clambake.

Jantz earned his skills the hard way, working the open mics in his hometown of Cleveland and wandering through Europe playing on street corners. He built his reputation up song by song until it paid off: Jantz became a top local draw, toured with Paul Simon and Brian Wilson, and was voted “Best Male Singer/Songwriter” in the Cleveland Free Times Reader Poll in 2004. The next week, he left to follow a girlfriend to Washington DC.

"It's kind of like starting from square one," Jantz says. "You have to prove yourself all over again; build relationships with bar owners, critics, the people who come see you perform. I went from being a top draw in my hometown to being a complete unknown.”

But the experience shows. Jantz’ new album, Snapshots of the Universe, reveals an older, wiser, and more polished musician that on his self-titled 2002 debut. Snapshots ranges from rollicking acoustic-based rock to mellow storyteller blues. Jantz has taken the high-energy atmosphere of his new stomping ground, and the shock of being dropped into a bustling, unfamiliar city, and channeled them into his songwriting. “For the past year, I put every single moment of joy, grief, anger, and love into this album,” says Jantz. You can hear it. These are the songs that have won him a large DC following in a short time: Jantz appeared in Entertainment DC' magazine’s ‘Best of Local Music’ in 2005, placed high in On Tap magazine's ‘2006 Texas Roadtrip Competition’, and was named ‘Artist to Watch in 2006’ by radio station Z104.

“Climbing my way up from playing in subways and city parks for pocket change was hard enough the first time,” says Jantz. “Doing it twice has taught me more than I can describe.”

Michael Jantz will be touring in early 2007 to promote the new album.